Top Chefs Share Their Secrets For Making The Lightest Summer Pastas

In today’s carb-fearing, grain-demonizing, gluten-free world, pasta may just be one of the most vilified foods of all. It’s shunned, avoided, and—when actually consumed—often accompanied by a side of guilt. “Why is there so much shame around PASTA,” writer Lauren Duca recently tweeted. Hers was a rhetorical question, of course, but it garnered thousands of likes. The shame, it seems, is real.

Which is silly. Because as we all know, pasta is damn delicious. One of life’s small pleasures! And, according to nutritionists and scientists, actually pretty harmless. In fact, according to a recent study, eating pasta regularly can even be—gasp—good for you.

Still, one can be forgiven for forgoing pasta in the midst of summer’s hottest days. Many of the most popular incarnations—carbonara, lasagne, Bolognese—are rather hearty, after all. And, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the season’s quintessential backyard pasta salads are often pretty dull.

Who better to solve the quandary than some of New York’s most beloved pasta chefs? At the recent James Beard and Pasta di Martino Primo di New York competition, we asked a few to share their secrets for making the perfect not-too-heavy summer pasta. Here are their tips:

Jared Sippel, Italienne“In the summer, I would stick to lighter, olive oil–based sauces with seasonal vegetables, garlic, and olive oil. Avoiding cheese and dairy is always an easy way of lightening the pasta. Using full-flavored ingredients like garlic, capers, pine nuts, and lemon juice to finish pasta is a way to add flavorful layers without adding all the fat that Americans tend to usually lean towards for pasta. And, when cooking dried pasta, cook one minute less than indicated for the perfect al dente noodle.”

Carlo Bigi, Gemma“Keep it al dente. When pasta is cooked just right, it’s much easier to digest. Use extra virgin olive oil and garnish the pasta with fresh herbs, chopped at the last minute, or use lemon zest for a tangy, citrus finish. Make sure the pasta water is salted enough. A good quality pasta just boiled in well-balanced, salted water will be delicious even without a sauce. But, if you have a sauce, try to finish the last minute or two of cooking the sauce in the pasta itself. This will make your sauce extremely creamy without the need to add butter or cheese.”

Hillary Sterling, Vic’s“We don’t use a lot of butter while making our pasta: We rely on the starch of the pasta water to emulsify and keep it light. Also, in the summer, we finish certain dishes with a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end to keep it bright and refreshing! The secret to making the best pasta is marriage. . . . Letting the pasta absorb the right amount of sauce and the rest, just coat the pasta and give it the shine. Never a soupy mess!”